May 2012 Editorial: Who's Hot. Who's Not.

As we all know, stars rise almost as quickly as they fall in the revolving door, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world that is Hollywood.  So here’s quick look at which actors and actresses are trending up (Who’s Hot) and down (Who’s Not) with the help of some friends.

HOT: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Because he is about to appear in The Dark Knight Rises after some  great performances in 500 Days of Summer and Inception.

NOT: Taylor Kitsch.  Because he starred in two movies this summer (John Carter and Battleship) with budgets of $200M that will represent huge busts for Disney and Universal.

HOT: Robert Downey Jr.  Because he is the lead player in the ensemble cast headlining the record shattering The Avengers (as evidence by his $50M payday) and because I expect him to be just as great in Iron Man 3.

NOT: Reese Witherspoon.  Because she has traded in the innocence and charm that made her famous in Legally Blonde, Just Like Heaven, and Four Christmases for more traditional starlet roles in Water for Elephants and This Means War.  Why go away from what is working?

HOT: Jeremy Renner.  Because he was great in The Hurt Locker,  Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and in The Avengers.  I look forward to seeing him in the Bourne Legacy.

NOT: Nicolas Cage.  Because of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Drive Angry, Season of the Witch, and the list goes on and on.

HOT: Zac Efron.  Because he has successfully made the transition from child/adolescent roles to adult roles as evidenced by his recent performance in The Lucky One.

NOT:Alec Baldwin.  Because 30 Rock and his annoying Capital One commercials – while once great – have clearly gotten old.

HOT: Charlize Theron.  Because she is coming off in an interesting turn in Young Adult, and is appearing next in Snow White and the Huntsman, and the much anticipated Prometheus.  And also because she is Charlize Theron.

NOT: Jason Segel.  Because he is coming off  three lukewarm performances in The Muppets, Jeff, Who Lives atHome, and The Five-Year Engagement and because this past season of How I Met Your Mother was the worst yet.

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Review: This Means War

This Means War is an action movie masquerading as a buddy film masquerading as a romantic comedy.  Before you get too excited about that prospect, you have to remember that it is a McG movie.  So without seeing a single frame of the film, you should already know that you're about to see a flick with a shortage of character development and a glut of rapid scene cuts.  He is after all the man who directed the A.D.D. inducing Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.  I have to admit though, in his latest directorial effort, the finished product comes off as a bit more balanced and a lot more entertaining than his last film (Terminator Salvation).

The movie is about two CIA operatives – one a lady’s man and the other a divorcee with a soft heart – who fall in love with the same career-driven woman and use their CIA training and resources to duke it out for her love.  All the while, a German arms dealer makes his way to L.A. to exact revenge on the aforementioned smitten secret agents.  If this plot works for you, then you should absolutely see this movie.  If this synopsis leaves you with some reservations, fear not.  There are some really good elements that make this film entertaining – albeit flawed.

Reese Witherspoon is billed as the star, but really that is in name only.  Her character is the most vanilla of the principles and could easily have been played by a plethora of actresses without affecting the final product in a favorable or adverse manner.  Witherspoon’s Lauren is a means to an end – a catalyst to spark the battle of machismo mojo between Chris Pine’s FDR and Tom Hardy’s Tuck.  And this is where the film works.  Pine and Hardy are better known for their action prowess and this serves them well during the physical comedy bits, but they also show solid comedic sense and timing to match.  There’s natural chemistry between the two that emerges in their banter as they slip seamlessly between camaraderie and antagonism.  

As for the rest of the cast, they do their best to keep up with McG’s breakneck pacing.  Chelsea Handler’s sarcastic quips are as fast and biting as machine gun fire.  While at times it feels like she is delivering her stand-up routine, she ultimately steals most of the scenes shared with Witherspoon.  Daren Herbert, Kevin O’Grady, Jesse Reid, and Viv Leacock do a nice job as Tuck’s and FDR’s respective CIA teams and add value to the comedic hijinks while Til Schweiger, as Heinrich is little more than a mean scowl dressed in a dark suit.

I would half-heartedly recommend this movie with the understanding that you’re going to be treated to a brisk but shallow narrative with unrealistic action mixed in with some genuinely funny moments.  If you’re looking for a romantic comedy or an all out action film, then there are better choices.  If you are looking for a fair compromise that has something for fans of either genre, then this is a fair choice.

Standout Performance:  Chelsea Handler delivers some great ad-libs.

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